Feasting: Beetroot

EAT ME

By Joanna Weinberg

Beetroot is a strange one. Aristocratic in colour,
peasant-like in looks, it is not an ingredient that will tuck
itself shyly into the marginalia of a recipe. If beetroot is
present, it will shout. The Hemsley sisters, whose healthy eating
system has caught on with the fast and the famous, recommend adding
it to avocado and strawberry smoothies to make them taste more,
well, pink.

The beetroot has always been associated with good health. In
Roman times, it was cultivated for its deeply coloured juice, to
treat fevers and digestive disorders, but it was mainly the
leaves that were eaten. It was the gardeners of Germany who decided
to develop the root in the 16th century. From there, beetroot
spread through northern Europe, sustaining hardy peoples through
war and famine.

Until recently, it suffered at English hands, soused in vinegar
until its mellow, mineral flavour was utterly masked. It has
taken a couple of generations to recover from this reputation, but
now the beet has been resurrected, not least out of laziness. No
longer need they be boiled and peeled, pickled and stored; now,
they simply bake in foil for a couple of hours in a medium oven,
drizzled in a little oil, a few herbs and perhaps a couple of
garlic cloves.

Beets like a piquant companion to set off their sweet
earthiness. Cube and toss with a pesto of walnuts, garlic and blue
cheese. Blend with tahini, Greek yogurt, lemon juice and garlic for
a regal houmous. Slice and layer on a platter, piling on Puy
lentils and goat's cheese, with a Dijon mustard and parsley
dressing. Or warmup pounded anchovies and garlic in olive oil until
just disintegrating, then add grated raw beetroot and peeled wet
walnuts.

This month's recipe

It is as soup that beetroot appears on my table
again and again as the season marches into winter.
1) Sweat onion, carrot and beetroot in a pan with butter and cumin
until the vegetables are soft and tender.
2) Add good stock - whichever sort you prefer - and blend until
completely smooth. Or, for something utterly restorative, chop
beetroot into good quality beef or chicken stock and simmer for 20
minutes to extract the colour and flavour.
3) Strain, then add grated raw beetroot, warm through and complete
with a shot of vodka.
4) In both cases, season to taste and eat with a swirl of sour
cream and a scattering of dill.

DRINK ME

By Malcolm Gluck

As we conjure beetroot into something quite wonderful, we
require a suitable wine to join us at the chopping board. It has to
be Champagne. Why Champagne? It is iconic. Like it or not, we
cannot escape the imagery. Who would lead a cava lifestyle? Or a
prosecco one? And as for leading an English sparkling wine
lifestyle, what would the neighbours say? One can only lead a
Champagne lifestyle. Period. This has nothing to do with whether or
not other sparkling wines may be as fit as, in some cases fitter
than, many a Champagne. It is to do with the magic of the
disyllable. And so, as we weave our culinary magic and turn
the humble beetroot - Beta vulgaris, no less - into a dish to die
for, we shall sip Charles Orban Blanc de Noirs. It
is rich but not rolling in it, chic but far from being prissily
overdressed, and it shows a profoundly well-textured finesse.
Priced at £30 at Marks & Spencer, this non-vintage Champagne is
a bargain. For the beet dish comprising a walnut pesto and goat's
cheese, stay where you are in the M&S wine aisles and pick up
Renato Ratti Nebbiolo Langhe 2011 (another snip at
£14). This juniper-tinged red is like a Barolo on the cheap and
it's terrific with food.

With the beetroot soup employing cumin, we have to go elsewhere
to find our wine, to Yapp Brothers of Mere in Wilts (+44 1747
860423; sales@yapp.co.uk). For £42 on the barrelhead, this quirky
merchant will part with a bottle of Pontcin 2011
from Château Grillet in the Rhône. This is Viognier in subtle
apricot-y form with a hint of grilled sesame seed, along with a
floral undertone. Treat it like a red. Decant for two or three
hours and let it open up. It reveals a genteel opulence of great
aplomb.

Finally, what to drink with the beetroot with its shot of vodka?
I have two suggestions. The first is a most luxurious Chardonnay:
Montes Alpha 2012 (less than a tenner at Majestic
if you buy more than two bottles). The leafiness of this Chilean
wine, once allowed to open in the glass, is delightfully
provocative. It has the texture of crimped silk. My second
suggestion is to visit your nearest Oddbins and grab a bottle of
Clos Bellane Les Echalas 2011 (£17). This
stunningly creamy white Rhône from the village of Valréas is
composed of 100 per cent Roussanne grapes. Said the person I drank
it with, 'It's like a beautiful piece of mahogany: polished,
reflective, so elegant. And maternal.' Yes, I was puzzled, too. But
then I thought, well, there's comfort food, why not comfort
wine?